Cordance Medical Advances Brain Drug Delivery With Focused Ultrasound. Getting medicines into the brain is not easy.
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) protects the brain from harmful substances. But it can also block many medicines from reaching their targets. This creates a major challenge for researchers developing treatments for brain cancer and other neurological diseases.
Propel(x) portfolio company Cordance Medical is working on a potential solution. The company is developing focused ultrasound technology that can temporarily open the blood-brain barrier without open-brain surgery.
A New Approach to Brain Drug Delivery
Cordance Medical combines focused ultrasound with medical device technology. Its platform is designed to temporarily and safely open the blood-brain barrier.
This could help systemic medicines reach areas of the brain that are otherwise difficult to access.
The approach can potentially support different types of therapies, including small molecules and larger biotherapeutics. It is also designed with clinical use in mind, with a focus on simple and ambulatory treatment rather than complex neurosurgical setups.
Cordance Medical Raises $8 Million in Seed Funding
Cordance Medical recently raised an oversubscribed $8 million seed round.
The funding will support continued development of its focused ultrasound platform. It will also help the company move toward first-in-human clinical work.
The company is also continuing to improve its medical device technology. Its goal is to make the platform easier to use in clinical settings.
Expanding Preclinical Research
Cordance Medical is building its preclinical evidence across several areas of high unmet need.
These include neuro-oncology and neurodegenerative diseases.
The company’s technology could give researchers another way to study how therapies can reach the brain. This is particularly important for treatments that struggle to cross the blood-brain barrier on their own.
Why the Blood-Brain Barrier Matters
The blood-brain barrier plays an important role in protecting the brain. At the same time, it creates a major hurdle for drug development.
Many promising therapies cannot easily cross the barrier. As a result, researchers continue to look for safer and more targeted ways to deliver treatments to the brain.
Focused ultrasound is one approach being explored.
Cordance Medical is developing its platform around this opportunity. By temporarily opening the blood-brain barrier, the company aims to help systemic therapies reach targeted areas of the brain.
Building Toward Non-Invasive Brain Treatment
The need for better brain drug delivery continues to grow.
Researchers are developing new treatments for brain cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and other neurological conditions. But getting these treatments to the right place remains a key challenge.
Cordance Medical is working to address that challenge with a non-invasive technology platform.
Its combination of focused ultrasound and medical device design could provide researchers with a new tool for exploring brain drug delivery.
The company is continuing to advance its technology and preclinical research as it works toward first-in-human development.
Looking Ahead
Cordance Medical’s recent funding marks another step in the development of its focused ultrasound platform.
As the company continues its research, its work highlights an important area of innovation in neurological medicine: finding better ways to deliver treatments to the brain.
For patients with serious neurological diseases, better drug delivery could help expand the range of treatments that researchers can explore.
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